Smith College's January Interterm
2004 Program, now in its seventh year, gives students, members of the
Smith community and area residents the opportunity to stretch their minds -- and
bodies -- in unexpected directions. In early January some 500 Smith
students returned to campus after the winter holidays to participate
in 44 eclectic, noncredit courses like "Burmese Cooking," "Marionette
Puppetry" and "Bridge for Beginners." The courses frequently
position students as teachers, faculty members as students and kitchens
and dormitory living rooms as classrooms.

"This is one of the things
I like best about interterm," notes Susan
Briggs, assistant to the dean of the college, who coordinates the program. "Students
learn so much by teaching that they often express a newfound respect for their
faculty members."

This year's roster of classes
included a few to help participants and future graduates become skilled
in promotion and advocacy. "Schmoozing
101: How to Meet, Greet and Network Effectively," taught by two members
of the college's
advancement staff, is designed to help participants feel at ease in social
and professional situations and to avoid making faux pas. "Public Persuasion:
Making Your Case in the Media" taught students how to handle publicity,
write press releases and conduct interviews.

In addition to courses, Interterm
2004 featured field trips. Students had the opportunity to see the Metropolitan
Opera's The Barber of Seville at New
York's Lincoln Center as well as the provocative Broadway hit Avenue
Q. A trip billed as "Disorder on the Court" provided tickets
and transportation to see the Boston Celtics play the Houston Rockets at
Boston's Fleet Center.
A film series featured faculty members and administrators introducing and
discussing their favorite films. Among them were Smith President Carol T.
Christ and her
husband, Paul Alpers, a scholar of English Renaissance literature, presenting
one of their cinematic favorites: Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 Strangers
on a Train.